"Are you sure ? You want to talk to me somewhere alone ?" He asked, his expressions neutral not giving away the waves of his emotions he was thriving from inside.

Chandni stopped for a moment, wondering the same thing. Is she sure ? She glanced back at Sabiq one more time, he was in conversation with Dev, busy and in belief that she was in the washroom.

In a way she was betraying him by her one lie. Though for some it may seem a small lie but for Chandni it was one of her many mistakes.

"I am sure. Come follow me," she said, wanting to close this chapter of truth and pretensions all for once.

Who was Shivoham Shekhawat was a mystery to her.

He was a man who forced a kiss on her or he was a man whom all the girls around her trust blindly.

He was the man who smelled of drugs and alcohol that night or he was the man whom little Renee could not stop adoring.

He was the man who molested by touching her in a way which is still haunting her or he was the man who Sabiq believes he is.

He was really the victim of that night like her or he was the player who plays his game with a facade of truth.

She could hear the rhythm of her heart reaching to her ears as he followed her without a word.

Leaving back the crowded and high atmosphere of the posh club they walked towards the silence of night. On the back side of the club. A calm and serene night, full of stars and a single full moon.

Her short dress shining on her brown skin like she was a part of the moon goddess or was she a selene herself.

Shivoham was bewildered. Mesmerized and completely awestruck as she stopped on her steps and finally turned around, meeting his eyes like watching the condition of his heart.

"I want to close it for now and forever," she spoke, her hands crossed across her chest, an attempt to look dominant to the six feet four inch mighty mysterious man.

It was a big challenge for Shivoham to hide that smile coming on his lips.

She always reached to his chest even with her small heels.

An urge of taking her in his arms so tightly, so madly just like the way to never leave again took his heart but he showed self restraint.

"What are you talking about? I am clueless," he said, sounding dumb and clueless. Such a bizarre crossover of the things running on in his mind and words coming out of his mouth.

Chandni rolled her eyes not believing that he can be such a dumb hole sometimes,"What I mean is I want to close, put a full stop completely on whatever things I feel when I am in your presence."

His heart skipped a beat. His eyebrows raising up just a little bit, things I feel when I am in your presence. A hope arose in his heart, does she feel the same thing that he feels for her in her presence.

"What....kind of things you feel in my presence?" he asked with a glitter of hope in his deep hazel eyes.

"Hate."

She spat the words without putting any filter, breaking all his hope and heart completely by her genuine words.

"Disgust."

A salt on his fresh wounds.

"F...." Chandni stopped herself from saying the next word. No she cannot tell him that she fears him, it will be a boon to his ego and authority.

"Fakeness," she opted for the other word.

"Confusion, blankness, and...." Chandni said getting irritated by the fact that he affects her so much and she, like an idiot, was confessing it to him openly.

"And ?" he asked, as she stopped and closed her eyes tightly, her face forming the creases of pain, a remembrance of that night when she first met him.

"And I do not want to feel it. I want nothing, absolutely nothing for you Shivoham. I don't know what is true and what is a lie but I don't want to be bothered about you. Treat you like I treat any other person. You said you are sorry for whatever happened that night, you were drugged by someone and maybe there is really a one percent chance that you are not what I think you are but ...." she stopped, not knowing what to say. She felt like she was trapped. Trapped in her own mind by the haunting thoughts of Shivoham and his other side.

Chandni wanted to stop it altogether.

"But what Chandni?" he asked, face as neutral as before but from in his inside again the waves of emotions swirled, anticipating her next words.

This time he was really clueless. Such an unusual thing for a man like him.

"But I am not able to completely forgive you even after knowing that perhaps you were equally a victim that night as me," Chandn finally let it out. Yes there was a part of her who believed in him, in that woman, in the possibility of him too being a victim, a possibility of Sabiq, Peach, Dev, Tara, Renee, everyone but her being right about him.

Maybe he is not what she perceives him to be. Maybe everyone around her is correct and this time she is wrong, but still she hesitated to forgive him.

"So what do you want ? Why are we here together? Standing away from everyone. Alone."

"We are here to finish everything. We are here to forget or at least try to forget whatever happened between us. I want you to never tell anyone about that night.."

"I am not going to.. you be assured," he cut her before she could finish.

Chandni nodded for the first time really trusting him, "And I want us to start afresh as a.... Stranger. You can meet Sabiq like before and continue your friendship with him. I just want us to try to completely avoid seeing each other...,"she halted before saying,"as much as it is possible."

"Do you understand?"

She said, giving him a serious look.

"I do," Shivoham said, staring deep into her eyes.

Chandni exhaled loudly, feeling a weight lifting off her shoulder. She stared him back in the eyes, finding nothing but blankness in them.

"Congratulations for your wedding," she said after a full minute of silence.

"Thank you," he said with the same vacantness in his eyes.

Chandni tried to give him a small smile back but even after all these words, peekaboo of truth and lies she felt uncertain under his gaze.

It seems like he wanted to tell her something but she was not ready to hear it.

Not able to withstand his gaze she walked away from there.

....

After that night everything went back to normal for Chandni. The weight really lifted off her shoulder and she felt free.

She withdrew her words from Sabiq that stopped him meeting his old Shivoham as often as before.

She was no more scared or even a little bit bothered about Shivoham. He was just another man for her.

In one sense everything was getting normal back for everyone.

Except for Shivoham.

That night was playing in his mind like a broken recorder so did the kiss that Chandni shared with Sabiq and the reality that he was going to get married to Tara within a few days set his heart unsettled.

He was so rotting from inside that he no longer gave those fake promises and replies to Tara which made the naive girl worried but still she kept her hopes high.

It was Sunday, a heavy rain was on its way as the clouds were turning black in the sky.

Chandni was volunteering for the cause of child education. Under a green shed in one corner of a lowly known garden she was teaching the basic math to the poor and needy kids who were unable to join school for various reasons. Poverty and responsibilities on their shoulders topping the list of reasons.

"9 × 1 = 9"

"9× 1 = 9"

She said and the children repeated after her.

Chandni smiled at the way the kids were taking interest in learning table.

"9× 2 = 18"

Chandni said but suddenly the cloud thundered above them striking which scared the kids and most of them ran out of the shed for their homes. Chandni did not try to stop them as soon the rain took over and she and some kids which were left behind were stuck under the green shed in the heavy rain.

"Oh no," she mumbled, seeing that the rain was getting heavier and heavier with each passing minute.

"Didi now how will we go home ?" One of the kids asked worriedly but Chandni had no answer. She gathered the remaining kids in the inner corner of the shed to save them from the rain and took out her phone to call Sabiq to pick them up. But her luck was not her side as she found that there was no network in her phone.

"Shit!" she cursed aloud forgetting that kids were around her. "What," a girl asked but Chandni shook her head dismissing her by saying,"nothing."

She bit on her nails trying to find the way to get these kids out of there without getting wet when out of nowhere one of the kids saw a luxurious car stopping out of the garden.

"Didi look !!" the boy shouted pointing at the car which stopped out of the garden in this heavy rain.

Chandni brows furrowed as she saw the door of the car opening and a man coming out of it with an umbrella in his hand.

"Shivoham..," Chandni whispered as it was him who opened the umbrella and stepped inside the garden which was turning muddy due to continuous rain.

"Shivoham...you here ?" she asked him, shocked to see him in an area like this. It was the poor and underdeveloped part of the city..no rich and reputed person placed a foot here.

"Yes I was passing from here when I saw the kids here. I thought of helping you guys. I hope you do not mind," he spoke, kindly. Something very different from him. Chandni was shocked for a moment but she saw the kids looking up at him with hopeful eyes and she knew that he lightened his tone for the kids.

She looked at his polished shoes which were getting dirty by the mud.."But we do not want to bother you and..." she was saying but he cut her in between.

"You are not bothering me Chandni. I really want to help and as the rain is only getting heavier I think we should not waste more time and get going," he said and holding the small hand of one kid he took him under the umbrella with him along with one more little girl on the other side.

He did not stay to hear a word from Chandni and it's not like she will deny his help especially now.

With the kids by his side and under the umbrella he walked out of the shed and Chandni saw as he opened his car's door and made them sit on the back seat of his car.

He did the same with the remaining five kids, taking their small hand in his big ones. He sat them in his car one by one.

In the end it was only Chandni who was left alone under the green shed.

A smile curled on his lips as he approached her for the last time with an black umbrella in his hand,"So let us go my little friend," he said, offering his hand to her in the same way he did to the kids.

Chandni looked at his offered hand and then at his face..that night of three days flashed through her mind..it was her who offered him a new beginning as a stranger.

Though it was not possible for them to be a complete stranger, they can at least behave normally with each other.

A small smile curved on Chandni's lips for the first time she did not feel uncomfortable with him. Instead of placing her hand on his she slapped lightly on his palm and took the umbrella from his hand,"Let's go," she said looking back at him whose smile only widened in response.

Without another word he got under the umbrella with her.

Chandni has a neutral smile on her face which meant nothing but the smile that Shivoham had on his face was of pure joy.

His chest was filled with pride and pleasure as he deeply inhaled the scent of her slightly wet hair.

It smelled of lemongrass. Just so pure and addicting.

He desired to run his nose along the lines of her brown curls but the time was not right.

He needed to win her trust first and then tell her how much he loves her.

As they reached his car he opened the car's door for Chandni. She smiled in thanks before sitting down at the passenger seat.

The first thing that caught her eyes was the interior of the car which was lavish and exuberant.

She then looked down at her muddy shoes and then at the back where the kids were sitting. They were all slightly wet and it was making his car's interior wet and muddy.

"Sorry," she said as shivoham sat in the driver's seat. "We are making your car dirty," she apologized feeling utterly sorry.

Shivoham smiled at her innocent face feeling immense love blooming in his chest for her,"You do not need to be sorry for anything Chandni. I am really happy that I could help you and the kids," he said and opened the desktop storage compartment and took out some chocolates from there.

"Here," he said, passing the chocolates to the kids.

"Wow," the kids happily took the chocolates from him echoing a thank you sir together.

"No need to thank my loves," he said, turning a little and ruffling a boy's hair. The kids smiled at him before eating the chocolates he gave them.

"Why do you keep chocolates in there ?" Chandni asked out of curiosity.

"For Renee," Shivoham replied, which made Chandni nod in understanding. He really loves Renee a lot.

Not only Reene, he loves kids a lot.

A part of her said and Chandni found herself agreeing with it.

"So shall we get started with our car ride !!" he hollered to the kids, starting the engine.

"Yay!!" the kids shouted back in response that made both Shivoham and Chandni chuckle at them.

Shivoham started the car and soon it was cruising on the wet roads of Mumbai.

Chandni leaned on her seat and looked out at the heavy rains outside. The slum was only ten minutes away from the garden, she knew it would not take much to reach there but again Mumbai rain was getting heavier it may take some more minutes.

She closed her eyes, for the first time feeling free and unafraid in his presence.. that talk was much needed and now seeing the helpful side of Shivoham especially towards the kids she was grateful that she did talk to him that night.

"Do you want me to turn on the radio ?" he asked, making her open her eyes and look at him. She was about to shake her head in no but a kid from the back said yes.

Chandni chuckled at the little girl and looking at Shivoham she said,"I guess yes."

Shivoham nodded with a small smile and turned on the radio.

"Dilbar mere kab tak mujhe

My beloved, until when

Aise hi tadpaoge

Will you torment me like this

Main aag dil mein laga dunga wo

I'll ignite such a fire in the heart

Ke pal mein pighal jaoge

That you'll melt in a moment"

"It is my favorite song," Shivoham said, almost beaming when that song played on the radio.

Chandni gave him a small smile and again turned her gaze to the outside of windows not thinking about him much.

She was completely unaware that this song would become one of the many reasons for her nightmare.

"Is this the place ?" Shivoham stopped the car outside the entrance of the slum and asked. Chandni looked at the side he was looking at and with a nod she said,"Yes it is."

"Okay kids, will you be able to go to your homes alone ?" she asked, seeing that the heavy rain almost subsided. The kids replied with a chorus of yes.

Shivoham opened the car door for the kids and they bid their bye by thanking him again for the ride and chocolates.

"Let me drop you to your hostel too," Shivoham said, getting inside the car again.

Chandni shook her head and refused by saying,"It's okay Shivoham you don't need to and I am not even going to the hostel."

"Then where are you going?" He asked his eyes suddenly darker as his hold tightened on the steering wheel. He knew she was going to meet Sabiq at his warehouse.

"There is a restaurant nearby..umm not even a restaurant it's a hotel actually I go there to have my lunch almost every Sunday," she answered plainly not thinking about it much.

"Oh if you want I can drop you there," he offered, wanting to spend some more time in her presence. He was loving how normal she was behaving with him.

"No it's okay," she was saying but suddenly a thought struck in her mind,"If you want you can join me for lunch," she said, it was her way of thanking him for helping her and the kids.

He was about to say yes but another thought came into her mind and she spoke before he could even start,"But it is a very normal hotel. I am sorry to even offer you that I just wanted to thank you for whatever you did by treating you with lunch but I guess it's the wrong way to thank you. That hotel is not upto your caliber, it is very simple and mostly for the middle class. I think I have to find some other way to thank you for your help. It was not wise of me to offer something like that. You will not even touch their food. I..."

"Chandni."

He stopped her rambling. An amused smile on his face as he looked into her eyes and said,"We are going to have lunch in the hotel of your choice and yes it will be your treat to me. So just tell me the hotel's name."

"Are you sure ? I can ask Sabiq to..."

"Chandni," he repeated, not wanting to hear Sabiq's name from her mouth.

"Just tell me the name of the hotel."

Chandni gave up a small sigh and spoke.

"The Spice Table."

....